80.—(1) Where it appears to an appropriate authority that a question has arisen in relation to a person’s entitlement to council tax benefit or to the allowance or payment of such benefit it may withhold the allowance or payment of the benefit in whole or in part pending the determination of that question on review under regulation 69 (review of determinations).
(2) Where it appears to an authority that a question has arisen whether any amount allowed or paid to a person by way of, or in connection with, a claim for council tax benefit, constitutes excess benefits for the purposes of section 76 of the Administration Act 1992(1) or Part XI of these Regulations (excess benefit) it may withhold any allowance or payment of arrears of benefit to that person, in whole or in part, pending the determination of that question.
(3) Upon determination of a question to which paragraph (1) or (2) refers, any benefit withheld under those paragraphs shall be—
(a)allowed to the person concerned by reducing, so far as possible, the next and any subsequent payments he is liable to make in respect of the council tax of the authority concerned as it has effect for the relevant chargeable financial year, until the benefit withheld is made good; or
(b)where this is not possible or the person concerned so requests, paid to that person within 14 days of the determination of that question or, if this is not reasonably practicable, as soon as possible afterwards, except to the extent that there was no entitlement to that benefit or recoverable excess benefit remain due from the person from whom the benefit was withheld.
Section 76 was amended to apply to council tax benefit by the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (c. 14) Schedule 9 paragraph 15.